Catamenial appliance.



#im 35mm. I PAT-ENTRE JUNE 18, 199?.

W. B. @BREL ATMENIAL PPLILNGE. ',:wmmwmlr FILED mmm, 1904.

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Unrrnn sfragrns rarniifr herren.

CAi'AMsNI'AL APPLIANQE.

To all zlwm, z may con-cern:

Beit knonu that l, WILLMM D. BERRY, a

citizen ol' the United States, residing at Louisville, 'in the county of Jellersonand State of lientucliy,have invented-a new and useful Ca'tainen'ial' Appliance, of which the following is a specilication.

"lt y invention relates to appliances to be worn during the catamenia, and the objects of :my improvement are, comfort, sanitation, durability, safety, economy, and inexpensiveness. These ob j cats l attain'by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figures l, 2 and 3 are perspective. views, a fragmentary plan view of the rear end of the pouch.

Similar reference .numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing. l

The pouch, l, and the elstic'straps 2 and 3'constitute the body of the 'irn-'entioa The pouch 1 is approximately triangular in shape 'and made o 1thin,.sol"t and open rneshed material;v The edgeis bound round with sott, flexible binding or tape to prevent the edge from stretching and. curling over and moving out 'of position, to cause it to iit permanently vand accurately in proper position and to preserve the pouch forni. A stri of tape also extends perpendicular-ly from t ie base of the triax'ifle to the apex so as to l'ornl ,a substanf of the conventional .glove fastener 1s preferably used because 4it -presentsno anglesior sharp. tongues such as 4Cv are. incident to buckles, pins and the like, and

-tialbottom for the pouch and also preserve the pouch forni.

Each angle is provided with a' lexiblestrap, 4, and to the ends of these straps are secured corresponding parts .glove fastener, 5. The.

thus renders the'pouch comfortable and easily washable. At the apex a broader flexible.

strap, 5, used than at the other'angles, 'and two glove fasteners, as shown in Fig. 4. This broad strap forms a guide .for Vthe elastic leg strap, 3, and is made of soft flexible material in order that itniay be comfortable and not chale or bruise the natos. The belt, 2, suspends the pouch trom the hips. It is made 'of elastic and formed 'of two pieces. It does not extendentirely round `thc body, but a gap is left in lront which is occu ied by the ase of the triangle ol' the ouc i., At one end of each portion 2 ol' the lielt is secured a metal loop, 6, adapted to receive a flexible strap, 4, attached to pouch 1,1'1aving an open- Specifoatonof Letters Patent. applicati@ med my' 22,1904. semi Easiness.

Vtion mutually,

and the strap may be Patented June 18, 1907.

At the opposite end of the parts of the b elt are secured two-slotted metal loops or 4sliding buckles which holdlsimp and the one 4portion of the belt slides through the loop or buckle attached to the other porso' that a portion of the beit at the back is doubled. 'lheobj'ect ofthis ar rangement is to render the b elt adjust-abb. to lit any sized personV andV yet avoid leavnig .loose ends to curl up and get in the Way.' and in g or slot sulliciently large to allow ythe free part of the glove fastener 5 to pass thrc`'.1gh.

form uncomfortable lumps. Near the front ends of the. belt are securedthe ends; of the "leg strap V3.4 This strap is made of elastlU preferably narrower than the belt, and one x nently to the belt; the through ajuetal loop, opposite endiofthe beltaud secured. to the two-slotted metal loop 9,V which has previ ously been strung on the strap; Thus a portion of this end of the le strap is doubled,

radily adjustedjn length to litany sized persoxrby sliding the loop, and no loose end is'left toannof, the wearer. By my arrangement for the a j from the middle ofthe pouch and the synametrical arrangement ofthe' parts niront 1s ustf' ment of the belt, the distanc'zeA of the leg strap lts ends is sewed 0roth'erwise fixed permet-fg' other endis passed .10, secured near the,

not disturbed when the belt is adjusted; The

pouch is attached to the'leg'strap by passing the.. flexible strap 4 on the apex around the leg strap-and closing vthe glove fasteners.

The strep 4 is of. suiicientlength not to bind the leg strap, but allo'w the plian'ce to ad just themselves readily.

The use of the a pliance will nont be readfily understood. o assemble it, the'glove fasteners are opened,

ers. closed, ,strap 4V on' the apexis around leg stra To Rut the app ianoe on, the feetareplaced in t e belt andthe leg strapand 'astride the' pouch, and the appliance isrdrawnnp thus and the belt is stretched oveigtlrehi'ps till it 3 iwill 110W pass rests upon them., The strap around the nates and the pouch will adust itself comfortably over the vulva. It be seen that the belt does notpass around the straps 4 at the lbase are, passed through loops 6 and the `glove' fasten-' passed'- 3 and the fasteners closed.

partsio'f the apwaisthbut rests upon the hips and dips downward n1 front Aso as to draw the pouch upf ward. Any soft, absorbent material may now be placed in the pouch by simply stretching the belt forward orxby sittingdovrvn (Fig. 3) and stri )ping the leg. strap forward on the legs, an the soiled absorbent may m like manner be removed without undoing any fastening or disturlnng any adjustment. Absorbent cotton seems to be thel preferable material because it is thoroughly absorbent, soft, inexpensive, easily carried about Without suspicion or embarrassment,

and can 'be readily disposed of or destroyed when soiled. Fig. 3 shows how the appliance may bedrawn forward when the wearer 1s rn a sitting posture, making the normal evacuation of the bowels and the bladder convenient-without danger of soiling the appliance and also without disturbing any fastening or adjustment, or danger of soiling the underwearor tbe body with the catamenialclimination taken u by the absorbent` l am aware that pouches of somewhat similar form have been used and made otrubber or other impervious material. Such niaterials lack ventilation and are uncomfortabl'eand, if 'any of the catamenial elimination esca les to the outside while the wearer fis l ying down Von the side or in any unusual posture,-- it cannot be absorbed and consequentl' causes great discomfort. I thereforemake my 'pouch of open-meshed, soft and absorbent material so that any leakage is at once absorbed therethrough by the absorbent material and all uneasiness and discoinl'ort is avoided. Furthermore, the materialof the )ouch being soft and flexible,

and the absor lent being solt and llully, they may be easily compressed Where necessary and avoid theibunchiness .experienced in the usen of' cloths. lt is obvious that my arrangement ol" the belt and leg strap obviates any pulling and cbaling or danger of the pouch shifting out of proper ell'cctive position in whatever posture the body may be.

llaving thus described my invention so that its construction and use are obvious, l claiml,.- ln acatzu'nenial appliance, the combination of a two-part elastic belt adjustable at the back, eachpart of said belt having its rear 4end permanently fastened to af frictionbuckle, an elastic leg strap li.\ ed to said bell, and adlexible and absorbent concave pouch detachably applied to said belt and said leg swam-substitutially as sy'i'eeilied.

L. ln a c'atai'm'e-nial appliance, the combination ol'un elastic belt around the body and resting on .the lups'eomprismg two equal parts, an elastic leg strap passing around the natesand having its ends fixed to said arts of said belt near the front and at equa ldistances from the front ends of said` parts ofsaid belt, a ligl1t thin absorbent pouch having on two of 1t-s angles means for detachably securing to the front ends of said parts of said belt, and on its apex means for detachably applying to said leg strap, and absorbent 'material placed insaid pouch and held gently and yieldingly against the vulva by said elastic belt, said elastic leg-'strap and said pouch,

substantially as specified.

3. In a catamenial appliance, the combination of a' belt formed of two equal elastic `straps each having at one end permanently attached a loop and at the other end perma-` nently attached, a conventional frictionbuckle, the friction-'buckle onthe one strap strung on and adapted for adjustment on the `other belt strap mutually forming means for adjusting the length of said belt, a leg strap having one end lixed to the one strap of said belt toward the front end thereof and the other end having a conventional frictionbuckle, said .l'eg strap: passing slidably through a loop. ermanently fastened on thej other of the .be t straps symmetrically with ouch or sack detachably fastened to -said be t and'said legA strap, and soft, llufy absorbent material re-v the other end, an absorbent movablyplaced in said pouch so disposedand arranged as toA yieldmgly press against` and cover the vulva and adJacent parts, subst antially as specified.

4. In a catamenial appliance, a supptrlilng ne 1 as' belt` f ormed-of two :straps each ofqv permanently fastened -at one end "a buckle,

the buckle on theend of one strap strung en and adapted to be adjusted on t 1e body of the other Istrap mutually andl held in position by friction and forming means for adjusting the lengthof-said supporting belt, arid means for absorbing the catamenial flow comprisinga sack composed of. absorbent material adapted to absorb any overllow or leakage and loose absorbent material re'movablv p aced in said sack, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

' WILLIAM l). BERRY( Witnesses: A r

F. ll. KAPPA,

ABRAHAM KNoaL. 

